Love Alone Will Never Be Enough: Raising Drug-Affected Children

By S. Wahrheit

Check every bookstore and library and the internet, and you will not find a single book telling the day-by-day story of raising drug-affected children. In the ’70s, when Mariah and her husband adopted these three, they weren’t told that the biological parents were on drugs. It took super parenting to raise children whose conscience and rational thinking were seriously damaged. It took prayer and a commitment as deep as their marriage vows plus a degree in psychology and child therapy and many miracles and lots of common sense. When you read how Mariah rushed out on the front porch and prayed, “God, send me a spaceship to take these children,” you won’t want to put the book down. The children are adults now but cannot function as adults. Without consistent mentoring, they would end up on the streets or in prison. The parents who took the drugs should be in prison.

With the increase in drugs coming into the united states as well the misuse of prescription drugs, more and more of our children will be drug affected in utero.
Children born of drug using parents will have brain damage and a multitude of other handicapping conditions that will require special services as they grow and develop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546242079

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© 2018 S. Wahrheit. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   07/11/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4208-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4207-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905795

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Miriam Thompson, long time Medical Foster Parent,

dearest Friend and Mentor, and Foster Grandmother to the children in this book.

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1     Wanting a Family

Chapter 2     Rough Beginnings

Chapter 3     Uncooking a Hard-Boiled Egg

Chapter 4     Choices

Chapter 5     Creative Chaos

Chapter 6     School Issues

Chapter 7     Teen Turmoil

Chapter 8     Parental Stress

Chapter 9     Miracles

Chapter 10   Lifetime Issues Resulting from Drug Use

PREFACE

Why do we have to build so many more prisons? Why do we have more murders, rapes, grand larcenies? Why do we have a large number of people in prison for these crimes for which in reality they are not responsible? What is the underlying cause, not in all cases but in a huge number? It is the parents who pass on drugs to the child through their genetic material.

This book will show how children of polydrug parents cannot function rationally. Their ability to think rationally and make moral decisions is severely damaged and can’t be rejuvenated. All the professionals in the world cannot fix them.

It is a sad state of affairs.

The gap for normal behavior widens as the polydrugaffected child grows into adulthood. He or she cannot function socially, economically or morally in an acceptable manner and often ends up in prison. The justice system has no choice.

What is the best solution? Get rid of the drugs? How?God only knows. Easier said than done.

INTRODUCTION

My History

I am the second oldest of seven children growing up in a large Roman Catholic family. Working parents necessitated older children helping with the three youngest members. Diapering, feeding, cleaning, entertaining, teaching, supervising, sometimes hearing first words and seeing first steps were all part of being a member of a large family. I witnessed the home birth of one of my brothers and to this day have not forgotten any of the details involved in this wondrous event.

My family experiences have helped me greatly in raising my three adopted children. I don’t know firsthand the labor pains a biological mother experiences, but I will tell you, adopting has its own set of pains. In addition to my upbringing, my career as a teacher and counselor has guided me and educated me in the ways of children. Classes in early childhood development, play, art and music therapy, and adolescent theories have all given me a deeper understanding of children and adolescents. Parents and teachers do not know everything about children, but if they keep an open mind and loving heart they can learn volumes from children.

A key element in working with children is to keep them involved in planning and developing ways to improve behaviors, attitudes, skills, and work ethic.

Some helpful hints: This is my first time around as a parent and your first time as a child, so let’s work together. We can learn together.

I used to hang a paper inside my kitchen cupboard to help me work on areas I needed to improve or change. As I was reading the sheet one day while drinking a glass of water, my six-year-old said, Is that one of those new things you are learning?

Yes, I said, we all need to learn. I can learn from you, and you can learn from me. Be a model for your children. They do what they see you do, not what you say.

CHAPTER 1

Wanting a Family

In 1968 I stood in my classroom on the third floor of our high school. I had just finished teaching a home economics class in sewing. I remember Melinda, a beautiful slim girl with large blue eyes and long silky light brown hair. She had eagerly finished a turquoise blouse. It looked gorgeous and would accentuate her kind blue eyes. The bell rang and the students drifted out. It was break time.

I collected my notes and gazed out the window to the campus below where students were milling about. I saw tinfoil flashing as they